If you need to lose 100 pounds or more — or you are less overweight, but experiencing weight-related health problems — bariatric surgery offers an important option. Research shows how difficult it is to lose weight through diet and exercise alone, especially for those who are substantially overweight. For these patients, bariatric surgery offers a significantly higher chance of success both for health improvement and long-term weight maintenance.
National data compiled from 136 scientific reports totaling bariatric surgical results of 22,094 patients1 showed that:
- 76.8% were cured of diabetes
- 86% improved diabetes
- 70% improved high cholesterol
- 61.7% were cured of high blood pressure
- 78.5% improved high blood pressure
- 85.7% were cured of sleep apnea
Bariatric Surgery's Proven Long-Term Success
Research also backs up bariatric surgery's long-term success. Results of the Swedish Obesity Study (SOS), initially reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 and confirmed in a 2010 update, concluded that bariatric surgery for severe obesity is associated with long-term weight loss and increased longevity.
Numerous Other Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
Studies also have found that after bariatric surgery patients feel better, spend more time doing recreational and physical activities, benefit from enhanced productivity and economic opportunities, and have more self-confidence than they did before surgery.
For more information, see Weight Loss Strategies Effectiveness Comparison.